James Mathison disappears from the spotlight after swapping TV for politics and activism

He was a household name during the 2000s, known for his work as a Channel V presenter and co-host on Australian Idol with Osher ‘Andrew G’ Günsberg. 

But these days James Mathison lives a much quieter, low key life away from the spotlight.

Now aged 42, the TV presenter is based in Sydney and is a doting father to two daughters – Luca and Celeste – who he shares with his wife Carlie Fowler.

Last year he briefly resurfaced to share the small screen with Osher for an episode of Channel 10’s Drunk History.

After more than a decade, the two reunited for reenact the disastrous expedition of Burke and Wills, as told by the inebriated comedian Harley Breen. 

James famously entered politics in the 2016 election, running as an independent candidate in the federal seat of Warringah, a seat held by then-Prime Minister Tony Abbot.

He was unable to oust the political powerhouse and garnered only 11.4 per cent of the primary vote.

James has largely steered away from uploading details about his personal life on social media. 

Instead, he uses Twitter to regularly share his political opinions, including advocating for action on climate change and the legalisation of psychedelics.

In 2019, he spoke to Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa about Legalise Nature Australia, a group he established to advocate and research plant-based psychedelic medicine. 

‘I’m involved in this group I’ve started up called Legalise Nature Australia, trying to get a bit of advocacy and research around plant-based psychedelic medicine,’ he said.

James explained: ‘At the moment we have never known more about the brain, the body.

‘We have never had more psychotherapists, counsellors, health professionals. Yet we’ve never had higher rates of suicide, depression, anxiety, addiction, alcoholism in this country. So something is going wrong,’ he said. 

‘Plant medicine, I’m talking about magic mushrooms, psilocybin… the heart of the issue is that you want to crack some of these problems affecting society.’

‘There is amazing around this that we can unlock potential in humans. And also, we should as adults be able to explore our own consciousness without the government telling us what we should do.’

James began as a reporter with the now defunct pay-TV music network, Channel V 2001.

In 2003, he went on to co-host Australian Idol alongside Osher Günsberg, then known as Andrew G. 

James quit his hosting post with Idol in 2009 and moved to The Project where he became a part-time panellist during the show’s early years.

He defected to Channel Seven in 2012, becoming a film critic for Weekend Sunrise. 

However, he returned to Channel Ten the following year to co-host the network’s new breakfast show Wake Up! with Natarsha Belling and Natasha Exelby.

The program failed to attract impressive ratings and was axed after just six months. 

Last year, James revealed to TV Tonight why the show was ‘the most disastrous thing I’ve ever been anywhere near’. 

He explained that it was an uphill struggle to get talent to the studio at Queenscliff Surf Club at Manly Beach in the early hours. 

‘It was like the Frontline of breakfast TV, the sequence of events around that,’ he added referencing the ABC series that parodied current affairs shows like 60 Minutes and often poked fun at hapless hosts and executives.

James continued: ‘But what came out of it was a very close, beautiful relationship with a super, dear friend of mine, Natarsha Belling. So that was my big takeaway from what was not an overly glorious moment for 10.’ 

Over the years, James also made appearances on The Celebrity Apprentice, and Studio 10.

In 2019, he co-hosted Thrones 360,  a Foxtel produced companion series for Game of Thrones, with video game critic Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen.